FACT SHEET VISION EYE INSTITUTE GENERAL EYE HEALTH

PRESBYOPIA

During the ageing process, everyone will eventually experience changes to their vision where it becomes harder to focus on near objects. This is known as age-related long-sightedness, or presbyopia, and is usually seen in people over 45. Most people need to start wearing reading glasses to deal with presbyopia, but not everyone will be affected to the same extent.

Why is my reading vision blurry? Presbyopia is the result of age-related changes to the eye’s lens, which is responsible for focusing light entering the eye. The lens of the eye is normally soft and flexible, allowing us to easily change our focus from a faraway object to something close by (and vice versa). However, as the lens gets older, it starts to lose its natural elasticity and the task of re-focusing between far and near becomes harder. As a result, the ability to see objects up close (e.g. reading) is slowly lost. Long-distance vision is usually unaffected. Presbyopia occurs in both eyes (although not identically), and normally stabilises when you are over 55 years of age. Presbyopia develops gradually. Initially, you might notice that, because of blurred vision, you need to hold your mobile phone, iPad or newspaper further away when you read. As your near vision continues to deteriorate, you may require reading glasses or contact lenses to help you read or perform other fine-detail How do you correct presbyopia? tasks (e.g. sewing, drawing, cooking). Fortunately, there are a number of ways to correct presbyopia. You can still develop presbyopia even if you already have an For some people, reading glasses are a suitable solution. existing refractive error such as short-sightedness, long- For others, the desire to be spectacle-free means that laser sightedness or astigmatism. eye surgery for presbyopia, refractive lens exchange or implantable contact lenses could be the best option. What are the signs that I am developing If you think you have presbyopia, visit your optometrist to have presbyopia? your eyes checked. If you have presbyopia and would like to get rid of your reading ƒƒ Blurred vision glasses, talk to one of our highly experienced eye surgeons ƒƒ Cloudy vision to discuss your options. ƒƒ Difficulty reading small print Difficulty focusing on near objects ƒƒ Book a consultation today ƒƒ Need to hold objects further away to see them properly ƒƒ Difficulty reading in dark conditions ƒƒ Blurred vision headaches (after reading) ƒƒ Eye strain

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VEI27416 | PRESBYOPIA FACT SHEET 04-18